News + Updates

Apr 12, 2019

PPS Partner Comunilife Opens New Woodhull Residence

Bronx Health Access PPS partner, Comunilife, held a ribbon cutting ceremony on April 3, 2019 to commemorate the opening of their new 89 unit supportive and affordable housing apartment building. The six-story residence named The Woodhull Residence is located at 179 Throop Avenue in Brooklyn. The residence has 54 studio apartments designated for former homeless adults living with special needs. The residence also has 35 low-income community residents and also features a community room, computer lab and a bike storage room.

For More information on Woodhull Residence, please Click here

Jul 26, 2018

Join Us For Our First Annual EMBRACING DIVERSITY Conference

JOIN US FOR A DAY OF INFORMATIVE, INTERACTIVE PRESENTATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS AIMED AT INCREASING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE PERSPECTIVES OF THE PEOPLE WE SERVE.

WORKSHOPS WILL EXAMINE TOPICS IMPACTING OUR COMMUNITY AND ADDRESS METHODS FOR MAKING POSITIVE, MEANINGFUL INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND SOCIAL OUTCOMES.

Jun 27, 2018

Download Spring 2018 Newsletter Now

Jun 07, 2018

2017 NYS Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH)

As many of you may have heard, NYS DOH and NCQA have moved on to a new version of Patient Centered Medical Home; NYS PCMH 2017.

This PCMH certification is customized to NYS providers and certified by NCQA.

As you may recall as a member of the Bronx Health Access PPS, the PPS paid for your PCMH 2014 practice transformation and certification and many of you took advantage and became PCMH 2014 certified by Insight Management Corp, our PCMH vendor.

We are pleased to be able to offer NYS PCMH 2017 services via Insight Management, once again, at absolutely no cost to you or your practice. In fact, for PCMH 2017, all the costs are paid!! You don’t have to pay for any application or survey tools as you did in PCMH 2014.

NYS PCMH 2017 is an updated and customized version of your current PCMH 2014.

If You and your practice are currently certified as a level 3 PCMH 2014, it will be very easy to transform to NYS PCMH 2017 and there are many benefits to become certified under PCMH 2017, including the continuation of your PCMH incentive fees at the highest level.

Only a limited number of providers and practices will be eligible for this NO COST PCMH 2017 program.

So, what do you have to do? It’s simple.

1.Email (aspencer@insightmanagement.org) as soon as possible and tell Allison you want to participate in the NO COST PCMH 2017 transformation and certification.

2.Call (914) 524-0500 and speak to Allison or Sabrena and arrangements will be made to get you started.

3.Insight Management team members will be calling you to set up PCMH 2017. Please take their call and advise your staff to accept their call.

After that, you are on your way to NYS PCMH 2017!!!

Sincerely yours,

Bronx Health Access

May 24, 2018

RSVP For Our Upcoming Town Hall

Please Join Us...

Please join us on June 14, 2018 for our upcoming "Sustainability: Now, and in the Future" Town Hall. Presenters will share current sustainability strategies for succeeding in a Value-Based Payment environment now and post DSRIP, followed by a Q&A Panel.

Event Details:

When

Where

Free Parking

*Free parking available at the MPG Parking Garage at 1020 165th St*Please validate ticket upon registration

May 18, 2018

CBO Innovation Fund Now Accepting Applications

CBO Innovation Fund Request for Proposals

For the second year, the Bronx Health Access CBO Innovation Fund is welcoming proposals from community-based organizations for one-year demonstration projects designed to reduce health disparities in the South and Central Bronx. Organizations that received awards in 2017 may reapply. Applications are due on 6/11/2018,

With two tiers of available funding, this year’s grant opportunity places a greater emphasis on program impact. Level 1 grants are intended for community-based organizations looking to strengthen their systems for data collection, program monitoring, and evaluation. Level 2 funding will support projects designed to have a demonstrable impact on specific patient health outcomes.

Funding Details

Funding Level

Funding

Deliverable

Level 1

$75,000

Receive at least 4 hours of technical assistance in data collection and program evaluation from a team of public health researchers at Columbia University led by Dr. Angela Aidala and Maiko Yomogida, MA. Grantees may fulfill the TA requirement at any point between 5/10/2018 – 9/1/2018.

With guidance from the Columbia University research team, prepare a logic model and evaluation plan to assess program outcomes.

Submit quarterly reports to PMO containing rosters of participants engaged to-date. PMO will provide a data collection template to be used before the official project start date.? ?

The CBO Innovation Fund is open to Tier 1 and Tier 2 CBOs. The New York State Department of Health defines Tier 1 CBOs as non-profit, non-Medicaid billing, community-based social and human service organizations (i.e., housing, social services, food banks), and Tier 2 CBOs as non-profit, Medicaid billing, non-clinical service providers (i.e., transportation, care coordination).

Download Winter 2018 Newsletter Now

Nov 18, 2017

Join Us at Our Next Town Hall November 2017

Nov 01, 2017

Download Our Fall 2017 Newsletter Update Now!

Sep 04, 2017

NYSDOH wants to hear from YOU!!

As a PPS partner, you may be selected to participate in a survey by the New York State

Department of Health (DOH) to assess your engagement with your PPS. Survey questions will focus on the network partners and their level of engagement in the PPS across key areas such as:

Project Implementation Planning

Project Implementation Efforts

Funds Flow

Site selection and outreach will occur in July and August 2016. For more information, please visit the DSRIP website and go to the Midpoint Assessment section.

Sep 01, 2017

Medical Record Review (MRR) underway

While system transformation is an overarching goal of the DSRIP (Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment) work, ensuring that services are provided following evidence-based guidelines and quality is also integral to our success. The New York Department of Health (DOH) and the program's independent assessor have partnered with two medical record review abstraction firms to complete a Medical Record Review (MRR) of patients. During the MRR, chart abstractions for all PPS' participating in Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) will be conducted by two vendors, MedReview Inc. and Verisk Health Inc. The vendors will select patient charts based on a variety of criteria and reach out to a subgroup of BHA partners to start scheduling appointments for abstraction services. If chosen for MRR, sites can expect to be contacted in September/October 2017. The MRR will be conducted based on the MY3 measurement period from July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017 and will focus on the following measures:

Childhood immunization Status

Lead Screening in children

Prenatal Care/ Postpartum Care

Screening for Clinical Depression and Follow-up

Comprehensive Diabetes Care

Viral Load Suppression

We strongly encourage all partners to prepare to participate fully in the MRR process.

Sep 01, 2017

Stanford Diabetes Self-Management Program (DSMP)

Health People is partnering with BHA to offer training on the Stanford Diabetes Self-Management Program (DSMP). Interested partner organizations can offer the workshops onsite or refer patients to be enrolled in a program at another location. This 6-week workshop is a peer-led program. Classes are highly participative with the goal of mutual support and building participants’ confidence in their ability to manage their health and maintain active and fulfilling lives.

If you would like to refer patients to a program or would like to offer a program onsite, please contact April Osorio at aosorio1@bronxleb.org.

Aug 15, 2017

NYSDOH Announces VBP University

NYSDOH is excited to announce the launch of VBP University! VBP University is an online, educational resource created to raise awareness, knowledge and expertise in the move to Value Based Payment (VBP). VBP University combines informational videos and supplemental materials that stakeholders interested in VBP can use to advance their understanding of this massive transformation effort.The VBP University curriculum includes four semesters.

Date of Release

Area of Study

Semester One

July 2017

Background and foundational information on VBP

Semester Two

August 2017

Topic specific information such as governance, business strategy, stakeholder engagement, finance, and data

Semester Three

September 2017

VBP Contracting

Semester Four**

October and November 2017**

VBP Bootcamps**

**VBP Bootcamps will take place in October and November 2017 in locations throughout the state. More information including dates and locations will be distributed shortly.

Semesters one through three conclude with a quiz on the topics covered. Those who pass all three quizzes will receive a certificate of completion. If you attend a bootcamp, you will receive a printed copy of your certificate. If you are unable to attend a bootcamp, a copy of your certificate will be e-mailed to you.

Jun 30, 2017

June 2017 Town Hall Recap

One of the goals of DSRIP is for 80-90% of managed care payments to providers to shift to using value based payment methodologies by end of demonstration year five (DY 5). The shift to value-Based Payment (VBP) is required to ensure that the changes in the care delivery system funded by DSRIP are sustained well beyond the waiver period. Innovations around patient engagement and care coordination activities, including peer-based activities, must be reimbursed, so that value-destroying care patterns (avoidable (re)admissions, ED visits) do not simply return when the DSRIP dollars stop flowing.

To support BHA partners in understanding the implications of VBP, the most recent BHA Town Hall focused on this topic. On June 23rd, 75 partners came to Tosca Marquee to network and learn more about the Shift to Value-Based Payment in health care. The town Hall was facilitated by Duane Granston, Project Manager, and Roy Wallach, Co-lead, BHA Stakeholder Engagement Workgroup (SEW). Following introductions and an overview of PPS activities, the facilitators invited Boris Vilgorin, MCTAC (Managed Care and Technical Assistance Center ), to conduct an overview of VBP including a look at the changing Medicaid landscape, types of payment arrangements, and myths and truths about VBP. Attendees then broke into small groups to discuss their own experiences with VBP and to ask questions. The event wrapped up with a look at how BHA and our SEW champions will further support partners with the shift to VBP.

Apr 10, 2017

Bronx Health Access is Proud to Announce Awardees to the Request for Proposal for Community-Based Organizations

Bronx Health Access (BHA) is pleased to announce that 6 community-based organizations were awarded grants totaling $450,000 through our recent competitive grant opportunity. The application was made available in April 2017 with awardees notified in July 2017 of awards up to $75,000 each. Grant funds are reserved for non-reimbursable services. The organizations and a brief description of their proposed interventions are below.

CBO

Grant Description

BronxWorks

Build program to identify chronically homeless in Bronx Lebanon ED and connect them to housing resources

Communilife

Peer specialist to support the transition of clients from Safe Havens to permanent housing.

God's Love We Deliver

Expansion of medically-tailored food services for the chronically ill

Phipps Community

Programs to support early childhood development and literacy.

RAIN

Expansion of mobile food kitchen

St. Ann's Corner

Liaison to facilitate communication between clients and social service/medical providers

To be eligible for the award, each organization had to complete the application, be a member of BHA PPS, and agree to provide services in the central and south Bronx. BHA intends these funds for CBOs to establish an infrastructure with primary care providers to improve the quality of care in a value based purchasing system.

The project implementation period began upon receiving the award and is for a period of one year. BHA may reissue this grant opportunity on an annual basis.

Feb 13, 2017

Save the Date: Bronx Health Access Town Hall

Please join us at our upcoming Town Hall Meeting. This Town Hall will focus on how the Bronx Health Access PPS is addressing the following topics in our community:

Sep 30, 2016

Care Coordination lecture by Dr. Shreya Kangovi

On September 29, the Health Home at Risk project hosted a free lecture on the IMPaCT Care Coordination Model. The features speaker was Dr. Shreya Kangovi, Founding Executive Director of the Penn Center for Community Health Workers and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Kangovi facilitated and interactive discussion and shared best practices from implementing "IMPaCT" (Individualized Management towards Patient-Centered Targets). The IMPaCT model incorporates patient perspectives on the socioeconomic determinants of their health and healthcare utilization and the effectives of the Community Health Worker in modifying these determinants. For more information on the IMPaCT modelclick here.

Sep 30, 2016

DSRIP Learning Symposium

On September 20-22, 2016, NYSDOH hosted a State-wide DSRIP Learning Symposium in Syracuse, NY. In keeping with DSRIP's stated goal of restructuring the health care delivery system, the conference was an inspiring event focused on system transformation, clinical management and population health. The symposium also offered opportunities for peer to peer information sharing, and highlighted best practices across program participants.

BHA was excited to participate along with our partners as both attendees and presenters.

The MAX Series Action Team, which focuses on Managing Care for High-Utilizer patients, shared a poster highlighting their innovative work.

Steve Maggio, Senior Project Manager, BHA, and Keela Shatzkin, Bronx RHIO, also presented and participated in a panel discussion around effective collaborations between PPS's and Qualifying Entities(QE) showcasing the work involved in developing the new Care Coordination Clearinghouse.The presentation was very well received by other PPS's and NYS officials.

Jul 30, 2016

Congratulations to our partners at Astor Services!

Astor Services for Families and Children has been awarded a grant to be the lead agency for training and implementation of the Behavioral Health in Schools Project. This is a multi-year DSRIP project that will serve up to 100 middle and high schools in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens. The project is funded by the 4 PPSs - Bronx Health Access, Bronx Partners for Healthy Communities, Community Care of Brooklyn and OneCity Health. The Jewish Board will manage the project, and work in collaboration with The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM), the NYC Department of Education (DOE, and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) as active partners in the project's design and implementation. As the grantee, Astor Services will be charged with:

(1) Providing training for staff and students at NYC public schools on understanding mental health and substance use and effective prevention strategies;

(3) Establishing and making community referrals and linkages for students in need of treatment by providing clear and easy to use "warm hand offs" to mental health and substance use treatment;

(4) Training, coaching, and supporting school staff on effective crisis response and when needed assisting in de-escalation of crises; and

(5) Assisting school staff in conducting universal screenings, early identification of behavioral health issues, and/or identification of gaps in services in the school and community. Astor Services for Families and Children is part of the Bronx Health Access partner network.

We look forward to working with them on this exciting opportunity to change the culture of behavioral health for future generations of New Yorkers.

Jun 30, 2016

June 2016 Town Hall recap

We held a very informative Town Hall on Friday June 10th at Tosca Marquee. Over 80 attendees enjoyed a buffet breakfast and heard updates on our work in the Bronx Health Access PPS. Here are some highlights:

Chief Financial Officer Victor DeMarco updated partners on the PPS cash position. He shared data for DY1 and projections for DY2, which began in April 2016.

Debbie Lester of Urban Health Plan gave a presentation on the organization's long and vast history of service provision in the Bronx. She also shared how they are participating in various PPS projects including but not limited to Care Transitions, Integration of Behavioral Health into Primary care, Asthma Home Based Care and Increasing early access to, and retention in, HIV care. Ms. Lester is also the project co-lead for 2ai, the overarching project focused on developing an integrated healthcare delivery system.

Chris Norwood, Executive Director of Health People, provided an overview of the new Standard Diabetes Self-Management Program (DSMP) Training being offered to combat the high rates of uncontrolled Diabetes in the Bronx.

Selena Griffin-Mahon of Bronx-Lebanon, Denise Cherenfant of 1199/TEF, and other members of the Workforce Committee provided an overview of past and upcoming workforce learning opportunities for partners to build knowledge around DSRIP and enhance skills for delivering patient-centered care. Programs open for registration include a Medical Assistant Refresher and Certification program being offered at Hostos Community College, a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) Training being developed with VIP and a DSRIP 101 e-course available on HWApps.

To view the full agenda and presentations, please visit our Resources page.

Jun 30, 2016

Who Is Engaging In Community Population Health, And How Are They Doing It?

BHA is running in conjunction with Hostos Community College a Medical Assistant Refresher Course. The goal of the course is to prepare Medical Assistants to deliver care in the context of emerging healthcare models. Topics will include: office practices from PCMH guidelines, population health and patient panels, care transitions and coordination, CAHPS, cultural competency and professionalism. The following three areas will be covered:

Anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, and Medical Law and Ethics

Upon successful completion of the program the medical assistant will be eligible to take the CCMA certification exam through the National Health Career Association. Medical Assistants who are already certified are not eligible for this class. The class will run one day a week on Thursdays from September 8th through November 3, 2016. Back-fill monies are available to cover for participants attendance. Please contact Meridania Gutierrez (Meridania.Gutierrez@1199funds.org) and Selena Griffin (Sgriffin@bronxleb.org) for further details. DSRIP workforce funding will cover the cost of this course.

We will keep you posted with future training opportunities as they become available.